Where history failed, imagination stepped in

The excerpt of Ruth Sawyer’s book we read for class addresses the history of storytelling as well as the process and the art of the storyteller. The title of this post is a quotation from Sawyer about the invention and exaggeration that came to be a part of storytelling. I like how Sawyer points out that everyone tells stories throughout the day, but being able to tell stories is not the same as being a storyteller. She then goes on to claim a position for storytelling as part of the arts. Earlier in the text she notes, “The art of storytelling lies within the storyteller, to be searched for, drawn out, made to grow” (26). The art of storytelling requires: experience, building of background, creative imagination, and gift for selection (26). I found this excerpt to be an interesting read, and I hope I have time to finish reading the whole book. Sawyer’s work provides an excellent introduction to the art of storytelling and ignites interest—at least for me—in learning more about the subject.

 

Sawyer, Ruth. The Way of the Storyteller. New York: Penguin Books, 1942. 15-112.